Father Tom Composto, our beloved friend and the heart and soul of the St. Francis Neighborhood Center for close to five decades, passed away  on March 16th, 2011 at the age of 72.

Fr. Tom came to the Center in 1965 after finishing his studies at a Jesuit seminary.  When the Jesuits ordered Tom to return to New York for another assignment Tom refused.  He told them that he made a promise to this community and he had no intention of leaving.  He kept this promise everyday for the rest of his life.

Tom did not merely live in Reservoir Hill, he lived for Reservoir Hill.  Through the transformative programs he launched as SFNC’s Director, to the friendships he forged with his neighbors, to the glowing smile he delivered to loved ones and strangers alike, Fr. Tom devoted his life to service.  Serving the community and working for St. Francis Neighborhood Center was never just his job; it was what Tom embodied through his every word and action.  It was through the act of treating every human being with dignity, that Tom was able to foster empowerment within each person and the community as a whole.

Fr. Tom’s legacy will live on through the countless lives that he touched, and through the work of the St. Francis Neighborhood Center.   We will all miss him dearly.

If you would like to share a few words, a story, or photos of Fr. Tom please visit the virtual guest book or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

Thank you to Tom Hall, a resident of Reservoir Hill, who did a remarkably touching remembrance of Fr. Tom on NPR’s Maryland Morning.  To listen to this piece, please click here.

 
The Baltimore Sun also did a piece on Fr. Tom. To read it, please click here.